Part 8 of 8 in The Emperor has no Clothes: How do we fix a broken schooling system?← Part 7
This chapter discusses the challenges of reforming the current schooling system and suggests building parallel educational models as a solution. It helps educators and parents understand how small-scale innovations can lead to broader educational reform.
- Large systems like schools have too much inertia to self-reform.
- Investments in existing educational infrastructure create a powerful sunk-cost fallacy.
- Building parallel models such as microschools can offer personalized learning experiences.
- The success of alternative models can be measured by increased curiosity and independence in children.
- Parental recognition of the benefits may shift the educational paradigm.
Sceptic: Schools are deeply embedded in society. You can’t simply throw the entire system away.
Me: Nor do we have to.
The biggest mistake reformers make is believing we must persuade the existing system to reform itself before alternatives can emerge.
Large systems rarely disrupt themselves.
There is too much inertia.
Too much infrastructure.
Too much money invested.
Too many careers built around preserving existing arrangements.
And there is a powerful sunk-cost fallacy: because we have already invested so much in schools, curricula, boards, buildings and examinations, we convince ourselves that we must continue investing in them.
It is like pouring more water into a cracked pot because we have already spent so much money buying the pot.
The alternative is to build parallel models.
Start small.
Run microschools.
Give children personalised learning companions.
Measure whether they become more curious, more capable, more confident and more independent.
Let parents see the difference for themselves.
The future of education will not arrive because a committee publishes a new curriculum.
It will emerge because parents see their children rediscover something schooling accidentally taught them to suppress:
the joy of learning.
And once parents see that their child wakes up wanting to learn rather than being dragged unwillingly to school, the argument will change.
The question will no longer be:
“Why would I take my child out of the conventional system?”
It will become:
“Why would I put my child back into it?”
Frequently asked questions
Why can't the current schooling system reform itself?
The current system has too much inertia, infrastructure, and investment, making self-reform unlikely without external alternatives.
What are parallel educational models?
Parallel educational models include small-scale innovations like microschools and personalized learning companions, offering alternatives to traditional schooling.
How can the success of alternative educational models be measured?
Success can be measured by observing if children become more curious, capable, confident, and independent learners.
How might parents influence educational reform?
Parents who see their children benefit from alternative models may advocate for broader changes, shifting the educational paradigm.